GREENLAND — The School Board is proposing an 8.3 percent increase for the 2018-2019 school budget.

The $10,880,638 budget with an increase of $833,996 includes many factors.

Currently at 426 students, the grade K-8 Central School grew by 26 students this year and the School Board is looking to reduce class size after adopting a policy to keep class sizes to a certain level. The budget calls for additional fifth- and seventh-grade teachers at $88,000 each, which includes salary and benefits. The proposal also includes $20,337 for the music teacher, a position that is increasing from a .8 full-time equivalent to full time.

The proposed budget includes funds for two reading aides. Assistant Business Administrator Amy Ransom said reading aides help with early interventions and are grant funded for the proposed year. Ransom said the school district lost its Rural Education Achievement Program funding from the federal government because it is not considering Greenland rural anymore. The School Board is also anticipating a reduction of federal Title 1 funds, and its proposed budget includes a 2.75 percent raise for non-union staff, which includes administration, food service workers, custodians and paraprofessionals.

When resident John Penacho asked for more explanation of the proposed 8.3 percent increase at the Budget Committee’s public hearing last Tuesday, the School Board said there were several factors, but in particular, a few high drivers.

“Last year, the school decided to understate the tuition costs at Portsmouth High School by 15 students,” said School Board representative Randy Bunnell. “So right away, that was a $370,000 hit that the town took this year.”

Bunnell said they used a Tuition Expendable Trust Fund. “To offset the tax increase, we dipped into our expendable trust, our reserve fund, and made up for those under-allocated students,” he said, adding the intent was to help the town. “We don’t have a lot of reserve fund money available to the school, but at that particular time we did."

The 2018-2019 spending plan budgets for 172 Greenland students at Portsmouth High School at $17,350 per student.

Bunnell said the town also approved full-day kindergarten last year and Central School saw an influx of kindergartners. As a result, the School Board voted to add an additional teacher to have three full-time kindergarten teachers.

Bunnell said $155,000 was also needed for additional special education and related services. Greenland currently has 64 students with special needs, which is 15 percent of the total student population.

The default school budget is $10,636,098, a $244,540 or 2.43 percent difference from the proposed budget. The default budget allows the school to maintain all services. It also includes teachers’ raises, transportation contracts and the special education cost.

According to the town, the tax rate was $16.64 for 2017, which broke down as $9.89 for schools, $3.38 for town, $2.31 for state and $1.06 for county. The school rate was $9.72 in 2016, $9.84 in 2015 and $8.90 in 2014.

A deliberative session will be held at Central School Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. Voting will be March 13.